The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-09-29

One word more and am done. Upon
the evidence as 1t StanaS in this case, even
if these short haul rates were put down
to the long haul figures, then the short
haul rates would still be grossly umcason-
able in fact. | say it is proved to be so
by the testimony, All the facts that are
put in evidence here as to how these oper-
atoms are carried on and what they get
for the work they do, tend to establish
the force of the statement. Governor
Smith told you the cost of carrying freight
per ton per mile is, on an average, four
mills per ton per mile over the line com
planned of, taking the fast and slow trains
together He has told you about the car
service, what that is and how profitable it
is to the company owning the cars. The
stock of the company whose cars carry
this very freight, and have carried it for
fifteen years pay dividends from ten down
to four per cent and on Il watcred capital
at that. Governor Smith also tells you
that they make money in this long haul
business, and presume he has told, as
everybody should, all that will be of ben
eft to his case, although he has not told
you low much they i'll fact make out of
the business.
If there is a profit in carrying carload
of corn from Detroit, or a car load Of
hay or any other commodity from the
Canada line to the line of New Hampshire,
or to Boston, or rice cerSd, at rate OF
less than 30 cents per hundred pounds, OF
whatever it may be, | do not pretend &c
get the fractions, but an enormously less
rate than is charged for the short distance =,
then the profits for doing that same kind
of work, over the same line at the sam c
time of year, at once and half or double
the charge must be enormously and I'M
reasonably large. This is demOnStra bic
when YOU look at these statements made
here as to the rates and take the elem cnt>
of the cost and the profit on the car ser
vice. When you find the same kind of
work being done over the same line under
the same circumstances, at half the rate
and paying the road profit, | insist upon
it, it is made out as fully as it ever can be
made out in such cases as this at any time.
When it is demonstrated that there is a
profit in the lower rate-the through rate
it is demonstrated that the greater rate
for the lesser distance is grossly unjust.
| And even if the short haul rate should be
| brought down to the longer haul rate
it would still be grossly unjust in proper
| ton to the expense of doing the business.
| 1t is not to be wondered at that the profits
of the farmer in Vermont, Ohio, Illinois,
or anywhere else are small 1t is not to
be wondered at that they make no profits
at all their profits are apparently some
where else. so | say that the short haul
the basis of charge for the longer haul.
That if what | insisted upon last night,
and | should have been willing, as | sta
ted at that time, in the hope Of finishing
this matter up for the time being, to have
had this matter stand upon the rates being
brought down to that basis and let the
matter stop there. with liberty, after a
reasonable trial, to apply to the commits
sion for relief. But we could not make
any arrangement about it and therefore
having to 90 through the whole case,
insist that on the evidence in this case
intrinsic unreasonableness of these rates
is true, and that they would still be un
reasonable. even if brought down to tho
long haul minimum.